POWER RATES: Siskiyou County is protesting
proposed electrical rate increases for California customers of Pacific Power. If the rate
increases are successful, residential customers will see a 20.94 % increase; irrigation
will see an 18.84 % increase; and commercial will see an 8.6-8.75 % increase. http://www.pacificpower.net/Regulatory_Testimony/Regulatory_Testimony58618.pdf
On a similar front,
currently, there is a 50 year contract that provides a substantial electrical rate break
for the Bureau of Reclamation and the irrigators of the Klamath Project. The reduced rates
were originally granted to offset impacts on water management to allow for flows for
electrical production. Subsequent to the listing of sucker fish and coho salmon, it has
been argued that operation of the Link River Dam and flow requirements no longer benefits
hydropower production and the rate reduction is no longer warranted. The contact ends in
April of this year.
An agreement has been made by
PacifiCorp, the Department of the Interior and the Klamath Water Users Association to step
up rates from current levels to proposed levels during and additional four year transition
period. The resulting $7.39 (approx.) million shortfall would be shifted as an additional
rate increase to other California customers. 52% of the shift would be paid for by
residential customers. This could result in an additional 5-7% increase over and above the
rate increases currently being requested.
Data indicates that 43% of
the proposed subsidy would go to the federal government for their operations.
I am scheduled to testify for
the Board of Supervisors against the proposed rate shift at the P.U.C. hearing.
FEMA: The California Office of Emergency Services briefed
County, City, Special District and School
District representatives on their “public
assistance” program. (This is for repair of damage to public infrastructure –
such as public buildings, roads and bridges.) Because the President has declared the
winter storms to have been a federal disaster, the federal government will pay 75% of the
accepted costs of repair. The remaining 25% cost will be split – 18.75% to the State
of California and 6.25% to the local government entities.
FEMA will pay for emergency work by agencies on landslides beyond
regular work hours to stabilize slopes to reduce threats to life, public health and
safety. It will also pay for emergency work on flood control works, such as levees, but
only if those works are the official legal responsibility of the public agency – such
as flood control works at Lake Siskiyou.
Because of the many environmental permits that will be required for
endangered species, clean water, streambed alteration and CEQA process, qualified projects
will more than likely take several years to complete. It is hoped that funding can be
braided with other sources to upgrade culverts and other structures that may pose fish
migration barriers, as was done after the 1997 storms.
FEMA and the Small Business Administration have offered several sites
during the past two weeks to assist locals in learning which programs may be available to
help private citizens and small businesses with disaster recovery.
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